The US embassy issues the communique on 16th<\/sup> January 2008<\/strong> \u2013 5 days after Ranil Wickremasinghe\u2019s meeting and on the very same day that the 2002 ceasefire was abrogated by the GOSL.<\/p>\n The US Communique is issued to: Defense Intelligence Agency France \/ India \u2013 Chennai & Delhi \/ Japan Tokyo National Security Council \/ National Security Council Norway \/ Secretary of State Slovenia \/ US Mission to European Union in Brussels \/ United Nations in Geneva \/ United Nations New York \/ United States Pacific Command<\/p>\n This means that the UN system, UN office in New York & India were well aware that Sri Lanka\u2019s Opposition Leader was predicting a figure of 40,000 deaths as far back as in January 2008. <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n At the said meeting on 11 January 2008 then Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe had also discussed the following with the Co-Chairs & Ambassadors<\/p>\n For then Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe to quote a figure of 40,000 there has to be a valid basis.<\/p>\n The Liberation of the East began in July 2006 & ended in July 2007. The liberation of the East would not have commenced had the LTTE not closed the Mavil Aru sluice gates denying water to thousands of Sinhala & Muslim villages. In what can be said as asking for trouble the armed forces were ordered to open the sluice gats on 28 July 2006. Asking for further trouble, the LTTE began attacking the armed forces from multiple fronts & this led to the security forces deciding to liberate Sampoor on 24 August 2006 which ended on 4 September 2006. With the liberation of Vakari, Batticoloa Bowl, Thoppigala & Trincomalee North the entire Eastern Province was liberated from the LTTE by 10th<\/sup> July 2007. Elections were held for the Northern Provincial Council on 10 May 2008. Throughout the liberation of the East, except for highlighting plight of the displaced there was no claims of excessive civilian casualties that prevented the armed forces proceeding with their quest to liberate the north.<\/p>\n The operation to liberate the North commenced on 5 March 2007.<\/p>\n Poignant to note is the report of the Norwegian Refugee Council covering period April 2006 to April 2007 by Kavita Shukla who claims deaths of 4000 (four thousand) throughout this period. She also highlights 60,000 Muslim IDPs living in Sri Lanka\u2019s western Puttalam district who had been displaced for 17 years! What is interesting about the report is that while it highlights with figures on the displaced it does in no way claim figures of deaths.<\/p>\n When the Opposition Leader met up with Co-Chairs & envoys in January 2008, he had to have a valid basis to claim 40,000 likely deaths and from this report it is baffling how he could even come up with a figure for Kavita Shukla does not cite thousands of deaths in th liberation of the East which was complete by July 2007. What it means is that the 40,000 figure by Ranil W would have been just a figure quoted without any basis & hijacked by the Darusman panel since the figure was floating through the UN system & among foreign envoys!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Screen-Shot-2018-10-14-at-3.12.59-PM-300x74.png\")
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